Why I Will Occupy the Department of Education…Again
Written by Denisha Jones
Photo credit: Pete Rosos
This year will mark the second anniversary of Occupy the Department of Education (Occupy the DOEd). April 4-7 teachers, parents, students, and educators will gather in front of the U.S. Department of Education to protest what we feel is an unethical and dangerous corporate education reform movement. Last year, I participated in Occupy the DOEd and although the turnout was small, the energy was high. For four days we spoke truth about the dangers of high stakes standardized testing, school closings, for-profit charter schools, and the billionaires club that is destroying public education. It was unseasonably cold for April, but we stayed put and made our voices heard. We left feeling energized and ready to take on the fight of saving public education. But after the occupation ended the challenges continued and it seemed like change might not come fast enough. I began to doubt our efforts and was unsure about returning for a second occupation.
But then a few things happened that began to restore my faith in the need for this fight. In September 2012 the Chicago Teachers Union went on a strike that lasted for eight days. Fed up with deteriorating working conditions and new requirements that would include student test scores in teacher evaluations, public school teachers all over Chicago took their concerns to the streets. The strike was a much needed spark in the battle for public education. Four months later in January 2013 a group of high school